Met Opera's Union Lockout Postponed; Financial Analysis To Come

A worker unveils advertisement for future productions at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center in New York City. The Metropolitan Opera's general manager Peter Gelb has threatened a lockout if there is no an agreement with unions to that represent musicians, stagehands and other employees.

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Originally published on August 25, 2014 11:11 am

Labor negotiations for New York's Metropolitan Opera took a surprising turn Saturday evening. Twelve of the opera's 16 unions faced the threat of a lockout at midnight Sunday, but negotiations were put on hold for a week while an outside analyst takes a look at the Met's finances.

For months now, unions representing Met employees have been negotiating with the company's leadership, and both sides have been extremely vocal in the press. This past Friday, musicians and singers rallied and performed outside the Met's Lincoln Center home. There have been multiple threats of lockouts from management and accusations of financial mismanagement from labor.

"The Metropolitan Opera is in the midst of its most serious labor crisis in more than three decades," says Michael Cooper, who has been covering all of the drama for the New York Times.

Cooper says the dispute boils down to just how much the Met is in the hole. For the 2012-2013 season, the Met claimed a deficit of about $3 million, on a budget that's over $320 million.

"The unions looked at that and said, 'There can't be that much of a problem. That's a very small deficit compared to a very large budget,' " Cooper says. "Peter Gelb, the Met's general manager, said the deficit was only kept that small because he had managed to do record fundraising from donors, and also because the Met has been spending down its endowment."

A federal mediator was brought in Thursday to work with Gelb and two of the company's largest unions. On Saturday, the two sides agreed to an outside investigation into the Met's finances. The results of that investigation will be confidential and non-binding, but it is allowing both sides another week to continue negotiating, avoiding tonight's threatened lockout.

Met leadership is asking for some $30 million in cuts to employee compensation and benefits. But Met workers argue that Peter Gelb is wasting money on elaborate new productions that are not filling the opera house.

"That's up to you to make opera grand, but you can't go and suggest that the pay you're providing people to put the production on is too much," says Jim Claffey, the president of the New York chapter of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union representing the Met's stagehands. He says whatever happens, things have to change for the Met.

"What's gone on in the past five years of discretionary spending and the business model can't be the next five years, or the Met will not be here," he says.

The Metropolitan Opera's new season is supposed to start in less than two months.

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Transcript

ERIC WESTERVELT, HOST:

Thanks for listening to All Things Considered. I'm Eric Westervelt at NPR West. The drama behind the scenes at New York's Metropolitan Opera took a surprising turn yesterday evening. Many of the unions that make up the opera's workforce were in the midst of labor negotiations and they face the threat of a lock-out at midnight tonight. But those negotiations have now been put on hold for a week while an outside analyst take a look at the Mets finances. NPR's Sam Sanders reports.

SAM SANDERS, BYLINE: For months now, unions representing Met employees have been negotiating with the company's leadership. Both sides have been extremely vocal in the press. This past Friday, musicians and singers rallied and performed outside the Mets Lincoln Center Home. There have been multiple threats of lock-outs from management and accusations of financial mismanagement from labor.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MICHAEL COOPER: Well, the Metropolitan Opera is in the midst of its most serious labor crisis in more than three decades.

SANDERS: Michael Cooper has been covered comma for the New York Times. He says the dispute boils to just how much the Met is in the hole. For the 2012/ 2013 season, the met claimed a deficit of about $3 million on a budget that's over $320 million.

COOPER: The unions looked at that and said there can't be that much of a problem. That's the very small deficit impaired to a very large budget. Peter Gelb The Met's General Managers said that the deficit only was kept that small because he had managed to do record fund raising from donors and also because the Met has been spending down its endowment.

SANDERS: A federal mediator within this Thursday to work with Gelb and two of the company's largest unions. Yesterday, the two sides agreed to and outside investigation into the Mets finances. The result of that investigation will be confidential and nonbinding, but they will give both side another week to keep negotiating and avoid tonight's threatened lock-out. Met leadership is asking for some $30 million in cuts to employee compensation and benefits. But Met workers argue that Peter Gelb is wasting money on elaborate new productions that are not filling in the opera house.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JIM CLAFFEY: And that's up to to make opera grand but then you can't go and suggest that, you know, the pay that you're providing for the people to put the production on is too much.

SANDERS: Jim Claffey is the president of the New York chapter of the International Alliance Of Theatrical Stage Employees. That union represents the Met's stagehands. He says, whatever happens, things have to change for the Met.

CLAFFEY: What's going on the past years of discretionary spending in the business model can't be the next five years or the Met will not be here.

SANDERS: The Metropolitan Opera's new season is supposed to start in less than two months. Sam Sanders, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.